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Biggles and the Runaway Tank
Biggles and the Runaway Tank is a short story which was first published in The Modern Boy Issue 336, 14th July 1934. The story was subsequently gathered and published in 1935 in the anthology Biggles in France where it spanned chapters 3 and 4 and were titled One Bomb and Two Pockets and "Stand Clear - I'm Coming!". The first part of the story, where Biggles accepts a challenge to fight one-on-one with a German pilot, was republished in revised form in 1956 as the 8th story in the anthology Biggles of 266 where it received the new title The Challenge. The plot idea for the second part of the story, where Biggles gets home in a captured German tank, was revised and adapted into Taffy Trundles In as part of Spitfire Parade. Here the setting and characters were substantially changed. The 1993 Red Fox edition of In France republished the story in the original 1st ed. format but still with some textual changes. The 2009 Norman Wright edition of In France restores the original text. In the Modern Boy sequence, this story is preceded by Biggles Goes Ballooning and followed by Flying Luck. Synopsis Biggles blows up the wine cellar of an aristocratic German pilot and is challenged to air combat one-on-one. On his way back after the duel, he has to force land and then "borrows" a captured German tank to get home. Plot (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) While in the air, Biggles spots an enemy Roland C.II two seater aicraft and gives chase. He doesn't catch up with it until the green-painted Roland until it has landed safely at its home airfield. Frustrated, Biggles drops a bomb but misses. Shortly after, the same Roland flies over Biggles' airfield at Maranique and drops a message. Biggles' bomb had apparently blown up the private wine cellar of one Lieutenant von Balchow. The German pilot challenges Biggles to either pay for the wine or meet him in single combat. Mahoney and MacLaren, however, discourage Biggles from responding--they had seen these traps before. The next day the Roland returns with another message, suggesting that perhaps Biggles could do with some mustard to warm his feet. Enraged, Biggles takes off for the German airfield and meets the Roland in a one-on-one dogfight. He succeeds in shooting the Roland down but now the rest of the aircraft from von Balchow's squadron are in the air and above him. Biggles beats a hasty retreat and succeeds in reaching the British lines. However a shrapnel from a field gun shell bursting near his aircraft damages his engine and he has to force land. Biggles sees a party of Royal Engineers salvaging a captured German tank. One of the soldiers, a corporal, invites him to take a look inside the tank. Unfortunately, the corporal is called away and Biggles absent-mindedly depresses a pedal on the floor of the driving compartment and the tank shoots off! Barely under control, or not at all, the tank heads for his airfield at Maranique where it destroys Mahoney's Camel, tears through a hangar before finally coming to a halt inside a gun emplacement. Biggles climbs out to find himself facing a visiting General who promptly puts him under arrest! Characters *Biggles *Captain Mahoney *Captain MacLaren *Major Mullen *Lieutenant von Balchow Aircraft *Sopwith Camel *Roland C.II Places Visited *Maranique Mentioned Editorial Changes Massive editorial changes were made to the text when it was reissued for Biggles of 266. The revised story did not include the part about the captured tank so contextual and scene setting passages which anticipate it are removed. The editors also sought to remove text which, in the 1950s, would have been deemed offensive or racist. These revisions were reversed in the Red Fox editions but not completely. (Click on expand to read more) *For 266, the first 5 paragraphs are completely removed. The story starts from where Biggles encountered the Roland and begins with "One day about the middle of June...." The paragraphs before that are scene setting text which would be irrelevant once the plotline about the tank is removed. In these paragraphs Biggles is said to have described the episode (of the tank) to follow as "his narrowest escape" but which took place not in the air but on land. The episode also led to disciplinary action against Biggles which "put a blot on his otherwise clean record that took some time to erase." *"the duel as the "grand manner" of settling personal disputes!" becomes in 266 "the duel as the "grand manner" of settling a personal dispute." *A section involving Indo-Chinese labourers repairing a road sees several revisions over the editions. This 1st ed. contains fairly strong text but is now quite rare: **"What do those yellow-faced tadpoles think they're trying to do?" (1st ed.) becomes "What do those lads think they're trying to do?" (266) and then ""What do those tadpoles think they're trying to do?" (Red Fox). **"What are those birds, anyway?" (1st ed.), preserved in 266 but becomes "Who are those birds, anyway?" in Red Fox. **"What do they feed them on? I can smell ‘em from here,” declared Biggles disgustedly. “Garlic, mostly, by the stench." (1st ed.) becomes “What do they feed them on? I can smell ‘em from here,” declared Biggles disgustedly. “Onions, mostly, by the aroma.” in 266. This entire text is removed in Red Fox. **""Well, for goodness’ sake let’s get on the up-wind side of them!" suggested Biggles. "This place stinks worse than a rotten egg factory."" (1st ed.) becomes simply "“Well, for goodness’ sake let’s get on the up-wind side of them!” suggested Biggles." in 266. The entire text is removed in Red Fox. **"Is that their idea of making a road? ... "Looks like it," grinned Mahoney." (1st ed.) This entire text is removed in 266 but restored in Red Fox. **""A spot of steam-rollery wouldn't do any harm," growled Biggles ... we shall have to rope ourselves together and use alpenstocks..." (1st ed.) This section is also removed from 266 as it anticipates the use of the tank later. In Red Fox, it is restored. *Biggles describes von Balchow as "that mackerel-faced merchant" (1st ed.) For some reason "cocky tripe merchant" was deemed less offensive and used by the editors of 266. *"...shooting the green planes and struts" (1st ed.) becomes "shooting the green machine" (266). Text restored in Red Fox. *"Whether he was hot or not, the German had sufficient strength...." (1st ed.) becomes "Hit or not, the German had sufficient strength...." (266) and does not start a new paragraph. *"Nevertheless, Biggles did not remain on the same course...." (1st ed.) becomes "Biggles did not remain on the same course...." (266). *"More than one officer came home the same way during the Great War...." (1st ed.) becomes "More than one officer came home the same way during the war...." (266) *"...where some Tommies were working on an object which, as he climbed the gate, revealed itself to be a German tank...." (1st ed.) for obviouse reasons becomes, simply "...where some Tommies were working." (266) The rest of the paragraph contains text which relates to the tank. This and the next paragraph are also removed. *"He accepted the first water-bottle, and smacked his lips in satisfaction after drinking a long draught...." (1st ed.) becomes "He accepted the first water-bottle and had a long drink." (266) In 266, the story ends here where Biggles "whistling, walked home." Other Research Notes *Aerial Victories: Biggles 1, Roland C.II *Mahoney is not very precise about the nationality of the labourers which he and Biggles encountered. He calls them "Chinese, from French Indo-China". Both the British and the French employed large numbers of Chinese labourers from China. If they came from French Indo-China, then they were more likely to be Vietnamese. References to the past *The balloon incident in Biggles Goes Ballooning is mentioned. Incongruities *"The pilots of the other machines were on his tail instantly, but their gunners, being unable to fire forward, could do nothing." In actual fact, the rear gun of the Roland had a 360 field of fire and could fire forward, over the arc of the propellor. This was because the upper wing was set low, in line with the top of the fuselage. The cockpits of the pilot and gunner were above the level of the upper wing, affording excellent top views. In any case, earlier in the text, Johns had mentioned that the Roland also had a fixed, forward firing Spandau machine gun. Chronology (see also table at Timeline of the Biggles Stories) *"Biggles was just becoming known to other squadrons in France as a splendid fighting pilot." *Biggles is not yet a flight commander. Mahoney and Maclaren are referred to as "old-timers". *The month is given as "middle of June", therefore this would be June 1917, early in Biggles' career. The Camel would just have been introduced. The Roland, introduced in 1916 would still have been in use, although somewhat outclassed by then. Publication History *''The Modern Boy'', Issue 336, 14th July 1934 *''Biggles in France'', Boy's Friend Library No. 17th November 1935 (as two chapters: One Bomb and Two Pockets, and "Stand Clear - I'm Coming!") *''Biggles of 266'', Thames, 1955 (not in sequence, now the 8th story, as The Challenge) *''Biggles in France'', Red Fox, 1993 and subsequent reprints *''Biggles in France'', Norman Wright, 2009 External Links *Article on the Chinese Labour Corps. This article is about Chinese labourers employed for fatigue work during the war. The labourers Mahoney and Biggles met were probably Vietnamese but the type of work and the working conditions would have been similar. *wikipedia: Chinese Labour Corps Category:Short stories Category:Biggles short stories Category:World War One era short stories